DICKINSON - Jared Rhode, a third generation firefighter, has been promoted to training captain, a newly added position at the Dickinson Fire Department where he will provide and develop training programs for the department.
Training captain is a first of its kind position within the department where Rhode will schedule, develop and provide all the training for the Dickinson Fire Department.
“It was a well deserved position for him,” Fire Marshall Mark Selle said.
Rhode has been involved with the department since 2016 where he began as a volunteer firefighter before joining the department full time in 2018.
Growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin Rhode found himself in Dickinson in 2012, pursuing a career as a pipeline welder. Rhode worked on his trade for a few years, but coming from a long line of firefighters, following his family tradition was always an idea in the back of his mind.
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Going back three generations, Rhodes grandfather worked as a volunteer firefighter for about 50 years and his dad an active volunteer firefighter in Wisconsin.
It was at his grandfather's funeral where Rhode decided he needed to follow his family tradition and make the switch to fire fighting. Rhode recalled the funeral ceremony and hearing the last call, a traditional ceremony including a dispatch call which honors firefighters' sacrifice.
“At that moment I was like alright, I need to get into it and quit waiting,” Rhode said.
Despite his recent promotion, Rhode is not entirely new to the duties of the position. For the last two years he has taken on these training duties while maintaining his position as a full time shift firefighter and full time student.
Having worked with Rhode for the last 7 years as he made his way up the ranks, Selle describes Rhode as hardworking, driven, and passionate about the position.
Considering the balancing act of being a full time firefighter, student, husband, and father the promotion was meaningful for Rhodes too.
“Everything kind of came to fruition, all my hard work essentially paid off…” Rhode said “...but that doesn't mean that it stops…”
Now his job is to solely focus on providing training, not just for the department but to the community and surrounding departments as well, Rhode said.
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The department offers training from the basic level firefighter certification, EMS certifications, technical rescue, among a variety of others. For the community the department offers training in things like First Aid and CPR.
With a dedication to training and education, Rhode has been involved in providing firefighter programs at both the highschool and college level.
Rhode had a hand in helping to develop the Dickinson high school firefighter academy program. Moving forward he will also be an adjunct instructor for Dickinson State University’s upcoming fire science program.
One thing Rhode tries to impress upon others is to always be a student of the fire service because within the fire service education never stops Rhode said.
With it being a new position to the fire department, Rhode said he has a lot of catching up to do, but plans to focus on continuing to move the department into a progressive department in North Dakota.
“To be a progressive and premier department we always need to continue to move forward with education and just grasping every little bit of knowledge that you can,” Rhode said.
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